Opening Day is 13 days away for the Orioles. On Friday afternoon, the O’s made it official which of their starting pitchers will get the ball for the first game. Manager Brandon Hyde announced Zach Eflin as the choice.
Eflin was really the only choice, especially after Grayson Rodriguez injured his elbow. Eflin’s nine starts with the Orioles last year were just that good. He was getting #1 starter results with his 2.60 ERA while averaging more than six innings per start. So, in some sense, this is just a formality, with no more surprise than a year ago when Corbin Burnes was named as the Opening Day starter.